Life’s To Do List

Good morning and happy Monday!

First things first: BREAKFAST!

Breakfast

Breakfast was split into two parts this morning. When I woke up, I made a piece of whole wheat toast and topped it with Teddie peanut butter and a few raisins.

This combo is so delicious! It’s also great for hunger control.

I also had a glass of iced coffee with vanilla soy milk.

Then, I headed to the gym, where I did 45-minutes on the elliptical. I alternated the resistance between 5 – 12 and kept my strides per minute between 140-160. It wasn’t the hardest workout I’ve ever had, but I was a sweaty mess by the end!

My second breakfast was sliced apple and Greek yogurt with cinnamon for dipping.

Apple + cinnamon yogurt = apple pie! Delish!

Life’s To Do List

So, I have a little story for you guys this morning. Don’t worry the big announcement is coming soon! 😉

When I graduated college and moved to Boston, I had a really tough time. I didn’t have a full-time job, I gained 20+ pounds, and my boyfriend of 1.5 years broke up with me. Obviously, I was not a happy camper.

I felt so lost during this time. In college (and even high school), I always had a plan and direction, which kept me on track with achieving my goals. This was the first time ever that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

If you’re a long-time reader of CNC, you know that I’m not the type of person who sits back and just complains about life. Of course, I feel sorry for myself for a little bit, but don’t let it last for long. I get it together and DO something about it.

So, in the Fall of 2002, I stopped sulking and gave myself some direction by created this Life’s To Do List:

Life’s To Do List

1. Own a dog
2. Drive across the country
3. Ride in a gondola in Venice
4. Gamble in Vegas (April 2008)
5. Run a marathon (January 2011 & November 2011)
6. Learn to make really great chili
7. Make a wish on a shooting star
8. Take a wine tasting class
9. Go on a tropical vacation (July 2008)
10. Drive Route 66
11. Take mom on a sweet vacation
12. Visit California wine country (January 2007)
13. Visit the Grand Canyon
14. Go to Mardi Gras (March 2004)
15. Register as an organ donor
16. Visit Niagara Falls
17. Visit the Eiffel Tower (June 2006)
18. Live in a city besides Boston
19. Brew my own beer (2007)
20. See the Hollywood Walk of Fame (January 2007)
21. Ski the Swiss Alps
22. Visit Hawaii
23. Ride the NYC subway
24. Plant a tree
25. Visit a psychic (August 2003)
26. Fall in love and get married (July 2008)
27. Be a mom
28. Become debt free (November 2005)
29. Attend at least one major sporting event (i.e. Super Bowl, Olympics, World Series) <— Does the CrossFit Games count?
30. Be a member of a TV audience (February 2010)
31. Visit Ground Zero
32. Visit Pompei
33. Swim in the ocean at night
34. Go skinny dipping
35. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
36. Create my own work of art (October 2006)
37. Sleep under the stars
38. Go upside-down on a roller coaster (August 2010)
39. Shake hands with a celebrity
40. Ride in a hot air balloon
41. Have dinner at the Top of the Hub (August 2010)
42. See an active volcano (July 2004)
43. Try snow-shoeing
44. Try snowboarding
45. Own a house
46. Find a job I love (October 2009)
47. Grow a vegetable garden
48. Visit Nantucket
49. Earn a Master’s degree (December 2005)
50. See the Mona Lisa in person (May 2006)
51. Sing karaoke on stage
52. Learn to knit
53. See Michael Jackson in concert
54. See Madonna in concert (September 2012)
55. Spend a summer on “vacation”
56. Visit the White House
57. Have a beer at Oktoberfest in Germany
58. Sit on the Green Monster at Fenway
59. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
60. Fly First Class
61. See the Full House houses (December 2009)
62. See a Broadway Show on Broadway
63. Vote in a Presidential election
64. Go on a whale watch
65. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity
66. Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge
67. Go to the top of the Space Needle (July 2006)
68. Go to the top of the Empire State Building
69. Visit the first Starbucks (July 2006)
70. Go on a pub crawl
71. Learn to make sushi
72. Stay awake for 24 hours in a row
73. Go on a cruise (April 2012)
74. See the Hollywood sign (January 2007)
75. See Mount Rushmore
76. Visit Graceland
77. Experience a Key West sunset
78. Visit at least 3 different continents
79. Stomp grapes in a vineyard
80. Ride the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Gardens
81. Meet Ellen DeGeneres/attend her show
82. “Fran” prescribed

As you can see, I’ve crossed-off a number of items that I have accomplished since the Fall of 2002. I started adding the month and year that I completed some of these things, but others I just crossed-off. Every few months, I add new things to the list. Meeting Ellen DeGeneres is my newest goal! 😉

Anyway, the whole point of telling you guys all of this is that I am hopefully going to cross #5 off my list. (Feel free to scroll up and check what it is! 😉 )

Yep, that’s right! God willing, I AM GOING TO RUN A MARATHON!!!!!

Ok, so you’re probably thinking that I am absolutely crazy. Well, I am. You know this! 😉 But, running a marathon is one of the top life goals.

As you know, I’ve had bursitis in my left hip for over a year now. (You can read the whole story here.) In recent months, my hip has gotten better. I can run 3-5 miles without pain. However, when I get past 5 miles, I pay for it the next day. 😕 Bursitis is the worst injury. It gets in deep and it takes forever to heal. Of course, running a marathon has been out of the question… until now!

Recently, I’ve been in touch with an integrative health center, called OMBE, here in Boston. For the past few weeks, OMBE’s founder, Jessica Molleur, and I have chatted quite a bit about my hip injury and long-term goal of running a marathon.

After discussing my sitation with her team at OMBE, Jessica has offered to help me chose an integrated treatment plan for my hip. OMBE offers a number of services from acupuncture to massage to naturopathy to yoga and pilates. Basically, I’m going to work with the team at OMBE to get myself in marathon shape!

My initial session is a complimentary evaluation, where the OMBE team will check me out and decide what is the best plan of attack for me. Then, keeping in mind all of their different services, the team will work together to form an integrated treatment plan. Pretty cool, right? It makes me think that physical therapy isn’t the only way to deal with an injury.

Of course, I’ll be blogging about my entire experience for the duration of my recovery. I figured you guys would like to learn more about an integrated approach to injuries, especially the runners. I know there’s a lot of you who are also plagued with reoccurring injuries. I feel you pain– literally!

My first appointment with OMBE is on Thursday, so stayed tuned for this journey! It’s no doubt going to be interesting!

Question of the Day

What’s on your Life’s To Do List?